You are what you drink...

 

As I walked into my office this morning I couldn't help but notice the big, sad office plant that I've been tasked with keeping alive. 

Every Monday I come in to find this poor plant withered and drooping so low its leaves almost touch the table, all because I wasn't there to water the big guy. I then water it within an inch of its life and come back Tuesday mornings to find it looking extremely perky.

This got me thinking...

What if dehydration were that obvious in humans? If our skin yellowed and hung to the floor, our bodies withered into raisins? Would you rush to guzzle water if you knew just how badly your body needed it? 

As an Esthetician and coffee addict, I've been known to spout the whole "do as I say, not as I do" spiel, but seeing my plant looking so damn perky this morning was a wake up call. No longer!

Ladies, check this out.

• Lose Weight: Drinking water helps you lose weight because it improves your metabolism and flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water also reduces hunger and is an effective appetite suppressant. According to weight loss expert Dr. Mark Lawrence, if you drink just three glasses of cold water throughout the day, hypothetically, you could lose two or three pounds in a year.   

• Reduce the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.

• Love Your Heart: A study done in the Loma Linda university in California, involving 20k healthy men and woman in the age range of 38 to 100 years, came up with the results that those who drank enough water throughout the day had 41% in women and 54% in men, were less likely to have a heart attack.

• De-Puff: Skin looking a tad puffy lately? Water retention is a large contributor to cellulite and puffiness under the eyes. If you’re not drinking enough water it triggers a response in your cells to hold on to as much water as they can, in case they don’t get more later. Enter puffy, unhealthy looking skin. Our skin is comprised of roughly 90% water but we have to give it the water it needs! If your cells are regularly hydrated, they’ll have no reason to hold on to excessive water, giving you smoother, more even skin.

• Blemish Be-Gone: Our skin is actually the largest elimination organ in the body, with some doctors even referring to it as our "Third Kidney". So as the excessive amount of toxins leave our bodies through our skin, the normal pH of our skin changes. If our bodies become even slightly dehydrated and our pores become clogged, the imbalanced pH of our skin will allow all that nasty bacteria to partaaaay. Water flushes these toxins from our bodies. Catch my drift?

• Know Your Intake: The general rule is 8x8, 8 glasses containing 8 ounces of water. A more personalized method is to take your current weight, divide by 2, and then divide that number by 8. Remember to keep your exercise level in mind, and always add an additional glass or two for each cup of caffeine/alcohol you drink.

Ok, I'm officially vowing to guzzle H2O until it's side by side with the air I breathe!   

How bout you?